No wedding band for Prince William

PRINCE William does not plan to wear a wedding ring after his marriage to Kate Middleton, Palace officials say.

"It is simply down to personal preference," an aide told the Daily Mail.

"It was something the couple discussed but Prince William isn't one for jewelery -- he doesn't even wear a signet ring -- and decided he didn't want to."

Originally worn by wives only, wedding rings became customary for both husbands and wives during the 20th century, but many men shun the practice.

William's father, Prince Charles, wears a wedding ring next to a signet ring on his little finger.

"It is quite common for men in that strata of society not to wear a traditional wedding band. If they do, they tend to wear it with their family signet ring but William doesn't have one of those," a source told the Mail.

Kate's band will be made from a nugget presented to Queen Elizabeth in 1981 and held in the safekeeping of crown jeweler Harry Collins, The Times reported.

The 1.26-ounce (36-gram), 21-carat nugget is a reserve supply of Welsh gold given to the Queen by the Royal British Legion.

Tradition holds that royal brides should have their wedding rings made from Welsh gold. However, no gold has been mined in Wales since its last mine, Clogau Gold, closed in 2007.

Only a sliver remains of the nugget used to make the wedding rings for the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth, the Princess of Wales and Princess Anne.

Fortunately, in 1981, the reserve nugget was given to the Queen by the Royal British Legion and put in the safe-keeping of the Kent-based jeweler Collins.

The nugget is thought to be a mixture of Clogau gold, once the rarest and most expensive in the world, and gold from other Welsh mines.

The Queen's gold nugget was also used to make wedding rings for Sarah Ferguson's marriage to Prince Andrew in 1986, for Sophie Rhys-Jones' wedding to Prince Edward in 1999, and for Camilla Parker Bowles' wedding to the Prince of Wales in 1999.